SAVANNAH, GA (September 29, 2015) – The Savannah Food & Wine Festival, Georgia Grown and the Georgia Wine Producers are proud to announce the first annual Georgia Grown Trustees Wine Challenge Dinner which will take place on Monday, November 9, 2015 at the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center.

The Georgia Grown Trustees Wine Challenge Dinner is the official festival kick-off and the awards banquet for the first-ever Georgia Trustees Wine Challenge, which is a statewide wine competition that recognizes the increased excellence of Georgia-produced wines as well as other wines produced from out-of-state-grown grapes made by Georgia vintners. The best of class Georgia wines will be awarded, while Georgia Grown chefs prepare a five-course meal from foods and products made in Georgia, served with Georgia Gold Medal Award winning wines. The Georgia Grown Trustees Wine Challenge Dinner will also feature a Georgia Gold Reception where guests will get to taste the Gold Award nominated wines.

Judging for the Georgia Trustees Wine Challenge, conducted by Georgia Wine Producers, will take place on October 4th and 5th, 2015 at Vino Venue in Atlanta, Georgia. Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal winners will be announced at the end of the competition on the website while best of class and superlative awards will be presented at the Georgia Grown Trustees Wine Challenge Dinner. The superlative awards, honored by a hand-crafted piece made by Georgia artisans, are named for significant individuals in Georgia’s wine history including “The Colonel William Stephens Award” for Outstanding Service in Promoting Georgia Wines, “The Thomas McCall Award” for Best Hybrid Grape Wine, “The Monarch Award” for Best Fruit Wine, “The Gay Dellinger Award” for Best Vinifera Wine, “The Ison Family Award” for Best Muscadine Wine and “The Oglethorpe Award,” the top award of the competition for Best Georgia Grown Wine.

In 1732, King George II granted the charter of the colony of Georgia to a board of 20 Trustees in London that would govern the colony. Since the success of the colony depended on finding an exportable product, the colonists, headed by General James Oglethorpe, established a garden with fruits and vegetables from around the world to see what would thrive. This effort was known as the “Trustees Garden,” and was the first organized agriculture experiment station anywhere.

One of the main fruits planted was grapes to establish the wine industry. The colony’s Trustees assumed that Georgia, being the most southern of the 13 colonies and on the same latitude as the lower Mediterranean countries, was the logical choice to become the “Vineyard Colony” for England. Establishing vineyards in the new colony became a priority because making England self-sufficient in wine was one of the most powerful appeals that the Trustees had for coaxing money from Parliament. The Trustees were continually requesting updates on the Georgia vineyard and the quality of any wine produced.

Tickets to the Georgia Grown Trustees Wine Challenge Dinner are available online for $135 per person, $250 per couple and $1,250 per 10-person table. Discount tickets are available on Groupon.com for a limited time at $99 per person: https://www.groupon.com/deals/taste-of-savannah

The Savannah Food & Wine Festival takes place throughout Savannah from November 9 – 15, 2015 with local and celebrity chefs, winemakers, connoisseur dinners and one-of-a-kind culinary, spirits and wine experiences.

For a full schedule of events, visit www.savannahfoodandwinefestival.com.